Chapter 3.3
Darcy pulled the curtains and tried to see what had happened. A knock on the door startled them; outside was Stevens, his valet.
“I apologise for disturbing you, master. A creek has overflowed the bridge ahead, and we can go no further. Several carriages are waiting ahead of us. We must stop and look for shelter. There should be an inn about a mile away; you have stayed there several times.”
Darcy looked at his man, dumbfounded. “What on earth are you talking about, Stevens? We cannot stop. We must reach London tonight.”
“I am afraid that will not be possible, sir—not until the rain stops and the creek recedes. Should we go to the inn? We must be quick since there is the danger of not finding a spare room.”
Darcy nodded, struggling to find a solution to their impossible situation. He glanced at Elizabeth then smiled to dissipate the concern on her face.
“Do not worry, my love; all will be well. But I am afraid we shall not arrive home tonight.”
“I am not worried as long as we are together. It does not really matter. I am just pleased we were not caught in a more dangerous situation. We are close to a village, and we shall spend the night at an inn. I am perfectly fine with that.”
Darcy kissed his wife’s hand without reply. He only wondered what he had done that fate laughed at his expense and tortured him on the most important night of his life.
∞∞∞
Minutes later, the carriage stopped again. Outside, raised voices and shouts accompanied the sounds of rain and wind.
“Elizabeth, wait here while I see what is happening. Keep the blankets around you; it is very cold.”
“But what about you?” Elizabeth asked with slight panic while her husband put on his hat and coat and exited into the dark storm.
“Do not worry; I shall return in no time. Just stay safe in the carriage.”
Although he believed they must be near the inn, Darcy was proved wrong.
They still had not entered the village. A stagecoach was on the edge of the road, apparently abandoned.
Stevens and another servant were approaching it carefully.
The horses looked frightened and in danger of bolting at any moment.
“What is the matter?” Darcy inquired, but Stevens only shrugged.
The rain was falling in torrents, so all were soaking wet.
Darcy opened the stagecoach door and frowned.
Inside—wet, scared, and frozen—was a young woman with three children, two toddlers and an infant.
Startled at the sight of three strange men, the children huddled in the woman’s arms.
“Hello there. What are you doing here alone? Are you hurt?” Darcy shouted to be heard over the storm, but his loud voice only frightened them.
“No, we are not hurt. The carriage has a broken wheel. We are waiting. The coachmen left some time ago, saying they would send help to take us to the inn. The other passengers went with them, but I could not leave with small children. They said they would come for us,“ the woman uttered tearfully.
“Ma’am, I am Fitzwilliam Darcy, and these are my men. Let us help you. My carriage is nearby, and we can take you to the inn in safety,” Darcy offered.
The woman withdrew in apparent panic then glanced at her children. A bolt of lightning followed by loud thunder made them all gasp.
“Come; the master was kind enough to invite you. You cannot possibly get a better offer. Which is your luggage? We shall take it to the master’s carriage.” Stevens lifted down the little girl and boy then helped the woman with the infant.
“Stevens, release the horses before you retrieve the luggage. You will all be in danger if they remain harnessed to the carriage,” Darcy ordered as he guided the four unexpected guests to his carriage.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth met them with astonishment and concern. When the two young children entered, she immediately hurried to help them. Then Darcy helped a young woman with an infant into the carriage, which left her completely dumbfounded.
“My dear, take care of them. I am going to help Stevens,” Darcy spoke quickly, his voice barely audible above the storm.
Elizabeth needed a moment to recover. “Please rest here. Let me take your wet coats. Here are dry blankets; put them around you,” Elizabeth said, trying to encourage the frightened new arrivals.
“Thank you, ma’am. I apologise for disturbing you…” the young woman whispered, trying to keep the children warm as she covered them with the blankets.
“Do not worry. Would you tell me your name?”
“I am Fanny Johnson, ma’am. These are my children: Tommy, Dottie, and Sammy.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I am pleased to meet you. I am Mrs. Darcy. Would you like something to eat?”
After a brief hesitation and with their mother’s approving glance, the children nodded.
Elizabeth gave them some meat and bread from the full basket.
At that moment, Darcy entered hastily, water dripping from his cloak and hat.
Intimidated, the children withdrew to a corner.
Darcy took a seat near his wife, removing his wet garments.
“We shall be at the inn soon. I am glad you are unharmed. Please, eat.” He attempted an encouraging smile at the toddlers.
“Thank you, sir. How can we possibly repay your kindness? We are so fortunate that you found us. God knows what would have happened if we remained in the broken coach.”
“Are you travelling alone? With only the children?” Darcy inquired, ignoring the words of gratitude.
“Yes. My husband passed away a fortnight ago. My uncle lives in London, and he paid for our journey. He waits for us in Town. We thought we were safe; he paid the coachmen to take care of us. But the weather turned so bad, and we cannot afford to postpone the journey. And then this storm and flooding…we should have arrived in Town by now. I am not certain where we shall spend the night. We were not prepared…” The young woman fought against her tears while the eldest children watched her in fear.
“You have no reason to worry.” Elizabeth smiled kindly. “We shall find a solution.”
Astonished, the woman was lost for words. “But, ma’am, we could not possibly…you were already too generous…”
“Well, we have arrived at the inn. Let us enter. As Mrs. Darcy said, we shall find a way,” Darcy said then hurried outside, helping his wife from the carriage while Stevens immediately appeared to assist the others.
Elizabeth held her husband’s arm tightly while glancing back at the woman and children who walked under Stevens’s supervision.
The inn was crowded; in the large dining room were more people than the place could accommodate, waiting for food and drinks. Some of the men were already boozy—arguing, singing, and talking. The din was so loud that it was hard to understand a single word.
Their entrance silenced some of the people, and the innkeeper ran towards them excitedly.
“Mr. Darcy! What an honour, sir! May I dare presume we have the pleasure of being introduced to Mrs. Darcy? Welcome to our humble dwelling, ma’am!
Please allow me to fetch my wife; she will be so happy to see you.
It is madness here today—what misfortune that you had to travel in such weather.
Please, do come in! How may I serve you? ”
“I am glad to see you well, Mr. Nott. First things first: I can see you are overloaded, but do tell me you have a spare room for us. We need to spend the night here.”
“Indeed I have a couple of rooms, sir. One is the same as you have used in the past, and I believe there are two others still free. The price is…higher than in normal circumstances. The times are hard for everybody, and our income is not as good as we hoped.”
“I understand, Mr. Nott. So, there are three spare rooms? I thought everything was full, considering all these people. I am glad I was wrong.”
“It is true we have more people than we can host, but most of them—especially the men—prefer to use their money to eat and drink; they sleep wherever they land.”
“Good, good, I do not wish to know more. I shall need all three rooms. One for Stevens and the rest of my staff, one for this young woman and her children. And the last one for us, of course.”
The innkeeper looked surprised. “Oh, the young woman is with you?”
“Yes, she is under Mrs. Darcy’s protection, and we want to be sure she is properly taken care of."
“Of course, sir! I am sure you will be as content as ever. It is such an honour to have you here again.”
“Very well, Mr. Nott,” Darcy stopped him. “We need to retire to our chambers. Then please send a warm meal to all three rooms. And I trust we shall need nothing else until morning.”
Fanny and her children watched Darcy in silent astonishment, incredulous at their good fortune. Elizabeth’s admiration for her husband mixed with tender gratitude for his generosity. Among all the other men, his impressive appearance, self-confident manners, and handsome figure singled him out.
They stepped among the tables, following Mr. Nott, when a voice stopped them.
“Mrs. Johnson, you arrived? Good, good! I am glad you are well. How did you get here? Did you walk after all? You see, it was not such a great distance.”
“We are fine,” the young woman answered. Then, at Darcy’s inquiring glance, she explained, “The two men at the table are our coachmen.”
Darcy stopped in apparent surprise then gently removed Elizabeth’s hand from his arm and stepped towards the table.
“I understand you are in charge of the stagecoach and this family's safety?”
“We are. And who might you be, sir?” one of the coachmen asked under the apparent effect of his drink.
Darcy’s face darkened. “I might be anyone, but I happen to be Fitzwilliam Darcy. As I look at you here, I cannot contain my puzzlement. This woman with three small children was abandoned in a broken carriage with the horses still harnessed in the middle of a storm. You seem to be enjoying your food and drink, so I presume you have sent others to retrieve them as you promised. Enlighten me as to their location so I can hold them accountable.”
His voice carried more anger than his words, and his furious countenance disconcerted the men.
“Well, yes…we tried, but…nobody was willing to return until the rain stopped. And I am wounded—my leg is hurting me, and…”
Darcy took another step forward, but Elizabeth gently grabbed his arm. He turned to her, and his expression softened under her tender, comforting gaze. To everyone’s surprise, it was Elizabeth who spoke next.
“I am sure there has been some mistake. I cannot imagine that you carelessly exposed a woman and three children to deadly danger for the sake of your own comfort—even more so since her uncle paid you handsomely to take care of them. Fortunately, we shall take them with us for the rest of the journey. Simply repay them, and this unfortunate matter will be forgotten.”
The two men glared at her. “Repay? No indeed, ma’am. She should travel with us to London as it was settled. I am giving no money back,” the youngest coachman said.
Neither the people staring at them nor Elizabeth’s grasp of his arm could prevent Darcy from approaching them as he leaned over the table.
“The noise is deafening, and I could not hear you properly. For a moment, I thought you rejected my wife’s kind request and refused to return the money you have not earned. But surely, I must have misheard because of the din. You cannot possibly be as simpleminded as you are reckless.”
The men looked around. Many eyes were upon them; behind Darcy, Stevens and Mr. Nott glared at them.
They hesitated, whispered to each other, argued a moment, and then one of them pulled a few coins from his pocket and handed them to the astonished woman.
“Are you pleased now, sir?” the youngest inquired impertinently.
Darcy frowned again. “I am wet and angry, and you are drunk, so I shall not give you the reply you deserve to such a stupid question. I shall forget you even asked it, and I hope I shall not see you again,” he responded then took his wife’s arm and followed Mr. Nott.
Two of the rooms were on the first floor; the servants and the young woman—who continued to express gratitude through her tears—took those while the Darcys entered the one on the top floor.
Elizabeth breathed with relief; the place was clean, silent, and warm—and soon she would be alone again with her husband.
“Mr. Darcy, would you like me to throw out those two coachmen?” Mr. Nott asked, worried about Darcy’s obvious displeasure.
“What use will they be if they die in the storm? Let them be—I wish to hear nothing more of them. Just make sure the luggage is brought to us and to Mrs. Johnson; then prepare some food and warm beverages.”
“It is already done, sir,” Stevens spoke from the doorway, carrying two bags.
“And here is hot water,” Mrs. Nott uttered from behind Stevens, bowing shyly to Mrs. Darcy while two maids carefully carried in two large steaming kettles. “Your dinner will be ready in half an hour.”
“Perfect. I am very content with your efficiency, Mr. and Mrs. Nott. I hope this will cover your efforts,” Darcy said, offering the innkeeper a handful of coins.
“I shall ring if we need anything else, but I am sure the dinner will suffice until morning. We just need tranquillity and rest until the storm is over.”
“We shall do everything for your comfort, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy.”
“Mr. Nott, Mr. Darcy and I are fine, but I am concerned about the children,” Elizabeth said.
“Please be sure their dinner includes some hot milk and soup; they are frozen and frightened. And Stevens, there is a basket full of untouched food from my mother. Please take it to Tulk, Jarvis, Lush, and the others.”
“Yes, ma’am; thank you."
“Very well; everything seems arranged now. Please return to your duties. I am sure you are very busy,” Darcy concluded, obviously encouraging everyone out of the chamber.
Elizabeth could hardly conceal her amusement. He locked the door then turned to his wife.
“You took care of everyone else, now I must take care of you. We must remove your clothes quickly, Mrs. Darcy. I cannot risk having you ill on our honeymoon.”
“The same for you, Mr. Darcy.” Elizabeth smiled, and they stepped towards each other.
From the closed window, the sounds of the storm and voices did not cease, but they gradually ignored them. They were alone, and nothing else mattered.